MEDIATION IN UKRAINE: GENDER
ASPECTS

When it comes to analysing obstacles for mediation developing in Ukraine,
few people, even mediators themselves, consider the gender issue. This can
probably be explained by the existence of de facto gender inequality in Ukraine, which
is so obvious that no one really pays attention.

For thousands of years of
Ukrainian history, the vast majority of Ukrainian society has considered the
role of a woman as the ideal assistant and subordinate. Her place in public has
been limited to meekly following the instructions of the male mastermind.
Ukrainian men believe it is sufficient for a woman to lead at home. Indeed,
Ukrainian women are the top managers in their families while men rule at work,
perhaps compensating for this celebrated domestic discrimination. The result is
that the majority of decision makers in Ukraine are men who only take male
professionals seriously; most believe that listening to a woman is a waste of
their precious time.

That said, there is a
female majority among Ukrainian mediators, legal counsel who represent clients
during mediation and, in general, champions of the mediation movement, which
can be partially attributed to the soft skills that play an important role in
the mediation process.

As a result, the common
practice in Ukraine is that, when a woman (either external counsel or in-house)
offers mediation services to a potential male client, his view is clouded by
social prejudices and, consequently, he loses sight of mediation and the
obvious benefits it offers, purely because a woman is marketing the concept.